The Beatles/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim and Moby are in a garage. Both are holding guitars. Behind them are a robot on drums and a robot on bass guitar. The bass drum displays the band's name as "The Robot." TIM: Alright, let's take it from the top. And a-one, and a-two, and a-three… Atonal music blasts forth. Tim holds his ears and frowns. TIM: Oh, that was terrible. The music stops. TIM: Who programmed you guys to play music, anyway? All three robots beep and point at Tim. TIM: Oh, right. Maybe we should, um, answer a letter instead. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, My dad listens to an old band called The Beatles. Can you tell me a bit about them? From, Sophia. Thanks for writing in, Sophia. To answer your question, the Beatles were the most popular rock and roll band of the 1960s and one of the most popular of all time. An image shows a portrait of the four Beatles toward the end of the band's career. A black-and-white image of the band from their early days appears next to the portrait. TIM: They released dozens of number-one singles and many hugely successful albums, too. A third image of the band performing a rooftop concert is added. TIM: But before they got big, they were just kids from Liverpool, a working-class city in the north of England. A map shows Ireland and England. The location of Liverpool, England is highlighted. TIM: The core of the band consisted of a teenage rebel named John Lennon and two of his friends, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. They weren't trained musicians. In fact, they couldn't even read music. Images show a young John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. TIM: But they loved to play classic American rock and roll by artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins. They also performed original numbers that Lennon and McCartney wrote themselves. An animation shows a spinning record. Images show Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, at first the Beatles were pretty rough around the edges. But they improved dramatically after playing shows in Germany over the course of two years. The hours and hours they spent onstage together turned them into the best band on the Liverpool scene. An animated map shows a plane flight from England to Germany. The location of Hamburg, Germany is highlighted. An image shows McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison on stage, dressed in leather jackets. TIM: To reach a wider audience, they traded their tough leather outfits for tailored suits and ties, got new mop-top hairdos, and signed with a record company. An image shows McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison dressed in matching green suits, holding their guitars. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. Before they started recording, they needed a new drummer. The robot drummer behind Tim hits a cymbal. Moby gives the drummer a thumbs-up. The drummer beeps. TIM: So they picked a friend named Ringo Starr, who was the top percussionist in Liverpool. An image shows a young Ringo Starr. TIM: Once all the pieces were in place, the Fab Four became Britain's most popular rock and roll act, almost overnight. An image shows all four Beatles in snappy attire, posed for a portrait. TIM: Lennon and McCartney wrote hit singles like "Please Please Me" and "She Loves You" and the band's first album stayed at number one for thirty weeks. Images show record sleeves of various Beatles releases, including the two singles Tim mentions and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Love Me Do." TIM: By 1963, Beatlemania was in full swing. Thousands of teenagers crammed their shows, screaming so loud the band couldn't hear itself play. Images show excited, screaming, and crying teenage female fans. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep. The next stop was the United States. It was a risky move because British bands had never been successful in America. But in February, 1964, 73 million Americans watched the Beatles perform on a TV program called "The Ed Sullivan Show." It was a huge moment in the history of rock and roll. It also kick-started a new musical era called The British Invasion. An animation shows the early Beatles performing on black-and-white television. TIM: All of a sudden, American teenagers couldn't get enough of English groups like the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Kinks. And American bands began imitating the Beatles' tight vocal harmonies and guitar-driven sound. Images show the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Kinks. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the Beatles just kept getting bigger and bigger. They sold millions of records, made two successful movies, and played huge shows in gigantic arenas all around the world. They were also maturing as artists. Images show the covers of the Beatles' albums "A Hard Day’s Night" and "Help." TIM:'On albums like "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver," Lennon and McCartney were writing more thoughtful, interesting songs. ''Images show the covers of the Beatles' albums "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver." '''TIM: And the band was experimenting with sounds that couldn't be reproduced on stage. So, in nineteen sixty-six, the Beatles announced that they'd stop performing live and devote their time to making new records. An image shows the Beatles in the studio. Sitar music and psychedelic sounds are heard. MOBY: Beep. TIM: It was another risky move, but it paid off in June nineteen sixty-seven when they released an album called "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." In addition to straight-up rock and roll, there were songs with full orchestras, songs that sounded like pop hits from the nineteen-forties, and songs that incorporated traditional music from India. The album was full of new recording techniques and sound effects, and even the cover was arty and unique. Both critics and the public hailed it as a masterpiece. An image shows the "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, 1967 was the height of the hippie era. Peace, love, and "flower power" were everywhere, and young people were opening their minds to new ideas and experiences. It seemed like "Sergeant Pepper" tapped directly into the spirit of the times. An image shows women dressed in late-sixties fashions sitting on a tie-dye painted bus. An image shows a young woman with long hair and wearing a peace sign necklace holding the "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Actually, the album was sort of a high point for the Beatles. They continued making great music, but as time went on, the band drifted apart. John Lennon married an artist named Yoko Ono and became less interested in working with the other Beatles. An image shows John Lennon and Yoko Ono. TIM: George Harrison complained that his songs weren't making it onto albums. An image of George Harrison appears, standing behind Lennon and Ono. TIM: And Ringo quit the band for a few weeks in 1968. Images of Starr and McCartney appear, joining the others. TIM: With all this bickering, it came as no surprise when the Beatles announced that they were breaking up in April, 1970. An image appears of the Beatles on the front page of a newspaper dated April 11, 1970. The headline reads "Breaking Up: Oh, How They Changed Us." TIM: But they left behind a musical legacy that continues to influence other artists to this day. Anyway, that's the Beatles' story. Now, let's take it from the top. And a-one, and a-two, and a-three… The Robots return to the screen. Tim and Moby are again holding their guitars. The band begins to play the same atonal music as earlier. Tim covers his ears and frowns. TIM: Oh, forget it! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts